Tomey to see stadium as half-full

The return of the SJSU coach is not enough to lure fans -- even with a ranking at stake for UH

See Hawaii fans pass, too -- on attending a game that could propel the Warriors into the Top 25.

Hawaii vs. San Jose State at Aloha Stadium

Kickoff: 6:05 p.m.

TV: PPV, Dig. 255

Radio: 1420-AM

The line: Hawaii by 25

San Jose State (6-3, 3-2 WAC) has a top-notch running back in Yonus Davis, and Hawaii (8-2, 6-1) leans heavily on the right arm of Colt Brennan. But tonight when Dick Tomey's Spartans take on June Jones' Warriors, the star offensive players are just part of the show.

Too bad there won't be as many in the stands to watch it as there would have been in Tomey's days as UH coach, when 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium was often filled or close to it in the 1980s.

Turnstile attendance has yet to crack 30,000 in any of five home dates this fall. And it might not tonight (28,500 tickets had been distributed by last night), even with Tomey's homecoming and a UH team that might be the best in school history.

Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier (who was hired over Tomey among others in 2002) said sports fans have more choices now. One of them is UH's own creation, the option of watching UH live on pay-per-view television.

"Unlike everybody else, what we're focusing on is people who show up. We're trying to make it the most entertaining football experience they can have," Frazier said last week. "Everybody's comparing it to the 1990s and the 1980s. If you look at your newspaper, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. people can watch any doggone game they want in the world. You didn't have that 20 years ago. You didn't have that option. For some people, they're not going to go to the game.

"We're going to be second or third in the conference in attendance. We're doing everything we possibly can," Frazier added. "I don't look at it as a negative."

There have been few minuses on the field for Hawaii, and Las Vegas considers San Jose State a three-touchdown underdog for several reasons. The Warriors are one of the hottest teams in the country, with seven wins in a row. UH leads the nation in scoring, total offense and passing offense and has outscored its last three opponents 197-37.

San Jose State should be more of a challenge than Idaho, Utah State and Louisiana Tech.

The Spartans are the first UH opponent with a winning record since Nevada came to town Oct. 7. And the Warriors came close to blowing a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Pack.

San Jose State's defense is markedly improved from last year, and features two underpublicized superstars. Undersized but efficient linebacker Matt Castelo is the top tackler in the nation with 13.33 tackles per game, and Dwight Lowery leads the country with eight interceptions in nine games.

To supplement Lowery's penchant for the pick, the Spartans have forced 14 fumbles.

But UH has a plus-10 edge in turnovers during its seven-game winning streak, after starting out minus-8 when it was 1-2.

"The biggest improvement Hawaii has made in the last six weeks is the change in turnovers," Tomey said. "And that's good coaching."

There's been some good playing, too. Brennan's pinpoint passing, a moving brick wall of an offensive line and a platoon of slick receivers augmented by running back Nate Ilaoa have elevated Brennan into consideration for Heisman Trophy votes.

His cousin, Brent, is a former UH graduate-assistant coach who now mentors the San Jose State receivers. Colt Brennan visited the Spartans before becoming a Warrior.

"We were never really in there," Tomey said of trying to recruit Brennan. "I think he's a great player. And I've gotten to know him and he's a wonderful young man."

A Hawaii win tonight would break the school record of consecutive wins held by Tomey-coached teams in 1981 and 1984. It could also give UH its first national ranking since 2002.

UH has already accepted a bid to play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24. The Spartans finish their season with two more WAC games, against Idaho and Fresno State. They hope to finish strongly enough to merit an invitation to their first bowl game since 1990.

"We are (bowl eligible), but it doesn't mean we'll get invited," Tomey said. "Our focus is the next game in front of us."

Hawaii's defense has improved each week, but the Spartans will test it. Defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said San Jose State will try to confuse the Warriors with tactics such as unbalanced lines, receivers lined up in the backfield and plenty of pre-snap activity designed to outsmart the defense.

"It's a totally different offensive scheme than what we've ever seen. Changed totally from last year," Glanville said.

Senior safety Leonard Peters said by the middle of the first quarter it will just be another football game.

"They do a lot of shifting and motioning to see if you're playing man or zone and stuff like that. After the first two series it'll settle down and we won't have to disguise as much. Just go man on man," Peters said. "They've got so many formations and trick plays and stuff like that. They're going to try to run on us, everybody knows they're going to try to run the ball. They have a great back.

"Dick Tomey would like nothing better than to come here and beat us on our home turf," he said. "I know for sure this week we're planning on playing four quarters of football."

On special teams, Tomey really becomes Tricky Dick. He had the Spartans try an onside kick on the first play of last year's game, which UH won 45-38.

"That's the way Dick always gets his momentum," said John Wilbur, who was a special teams assistant under Tomey at Hawaii. "He's looking for edges all the time. There'll be some crazy (bleep)."